AI Stocks May Lead Early Upward Move On Wall Street

Market Overview - Major U.S. index futures indicate a higher open on Monday, with stocks expected to continue the upward trend from last Friday [1] - Nvidia (NVDA) shares rose by 1.0% in pre-market trading, while Oracle (ORCL) increased by 0.9% [2] - Electronic Arts (EA) shares surged by 5.4% after announcing an acquisition agreement valued at approximately $55 billion [2][3] Acquisition Details - EA stockholders will receive $210 per share in cash, representing a 25% premium over the unaffected share price of $168.32 [3] Economic Indicators - The Labor Department's monthly jobs report is anticipated to show an increase of 50,000 jobs in September, following a rise of 22,000 jobs in August [4] - The report could influence interest rate outlooks, with concerns about a potential U.S. government shutdown also affecting trader sentiment [4] Stock Performance - Major averages finished positively on Friday, with the Dow up by 299.97 points (0.7%) to 46,247.29, S&P 500 up by 38.98 points (0.6%) to 6,643.70, and Nasdaq up by 99.37 points (0.4%) to 22,484.07 [6] - Despite the gains, the Nasdaq fell by 0.7% for the week, while the S&P 500 and Dow dipped by 0.3% and 0.2%, respectively [6] Inflation Data - Consumer prices increased in line with expectations, with the PCE price index rising by 0.3% in August after a 0.2% increase in July [7][8] - The annual growth rate of the PCE price index rose to 2.7% in August from 2.6% in July, while the core PCE price index remained at 2.9% [8] Global Market Reactions - Asian stocks rose broadly, with China's Shanghai Composite Index increasing by 0.9% due to a 20.4% annual rise in industrial profits for August [13][14] - The Kospi in South Korea jumped by 1.3% on renewed hopes for a Federal Reserve interest rate cut [16] European Market Performance - European stocks showed mixed results amid concerns of a potential U.S. government shutdown [18] - The German DAX Index decreased by 0.1%, while the French CAC 40 and U.K.'s FTSE 100 increased by 0.3% and 0.4%, respectively [20]